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County Council approves bonds for South Park Bridge

The King County Council voted Monday to authorize the issuance of $30 million in bonds to help pay for construction of a new South Park Bridge.

That’s still a long way from the $130 million needed to build a replacement for the bridge that’s set to close next Wednesday.

With a $30 million commitment from the county, and $15 million pledged by the Seattle City Council last week, officials hope that will make the bridge more competitive during another round of federal transportation grants. In addition, county officials are talking to businesses and other government agencies about contributing toward the project.

The existing bridge carries 20,000 vehicles per day over the Duwamish River and is the main access point to South Park’s business district.

According to a news release, the legislation authorizes the county executive to issue up to $31 million in bonds and revises the 2010-2015 Roads Capital Improvement Program to add $2.5 million per year for debt repayment.

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